The demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is projected to reach 4.7 terawatt-hours by 2030, driven by the growing adoption of technologies like home and grid-scale energy storage and electric vehicles. Despite their widespread use, LIBs face challenges such as rapid degradation and limited lifespan. Within these batteries, the separator plays a crucial role in addressing issues like thermal runaway, dendrite formation, and electrolyte leakage. In recent years, cellulose and its derivatives have emerged as leading materials for producing eco-friendly separator membranes for LIBs. These membranes possess a distinctive electrolyte-philic structure that, compared to commercial separators, significantly enhances both ionic conductivity and electrolyte wettability. This study aims to develop a high-performance, stable, and safe cellulose-based LIB separator via the electrospinning method, incorporating ferroelectric materials such as BiFeO₃ (BFO) These doped cellulose separators were validated chemically by FT-IR and EDS and physically via SEM. To compare the properties of the implementation of ferroelectric materials, the precursor materials, such as Bi₂O₃, and Fe₂O₃, and the undoped fibermat and commercial separator were also implemented into the fibermats. Our preliminary results showed that, in comparison with commercial separators, the C-BFO separator (average thickness of 40 µm) improved the (1) wettability by a 1.91 factor, (2) electrolyte retention, (3) ionic conductivity by a 10² factor, (4) average porosity of 60%, and (5) mean pore size below 1 µm. These improvements resulted in higher battery performance and efficiency. Electrochemical characterizations are ongoing and preliminary results showed that batteries with the C-BFO separator ran a total of 4 charge-discharge cycles. The insights gained from this work hold promise for the future development of separators tailored to prevent dendrite formation in LIBs.

Guillermo Narv&aacute;ez Lozano

Appearances

Guillermo Narváez Lozano